Marion County, Indianapolis Rat Control Situation:
Hello David, I have been reading the information that you have on line about squirrels in the attic. We have something in our attic and cannot figure out what it is, nor have we been able to trap it, nor has it been caught in a rat trap. I hear this creature or creatures ??? during the day, as well as at night. There does not seem to be a particular favorite time that they move around. Perhaps the morning is very quiet, and there is more activity in the afternoon and evening. My bedroom is quite a distance from the area that we hear this creature in, so I would not hear it at night even if it is moving around a lot at night.
I mostly have heard scratching in the walls, and at one point did hear a big thud. The odd thing about this creature is this. We set a live trap with peanut butter in it, and what ever it is carried large pieces of insulation inside the trap to cover the peanut butter. Like really large- maybe a 6 X 6 inch piece. We feel the trap was not set properly because it did not shut. Next day we put meat in it, thinking it may be an animal that would want meat like an opossum. All this time our rat traps have remained in place but this creature DAILY overs all the traps with insulation....without getting caught. We have not seen anything enter or leave. We found one area that is gapping between he house and fascia but only maybe a 3" opening. We do know for sure that there is enter way at the garage floor. We will put foam insulation in those areas this weekend to hopefully stop rats or whatever it is up there from entering and will continue our trapping efforts. We live north of Indianapolis IN in the country on one acre. Our house is 7 years old; made of brick.
By my description, do you have any idea what we might be dealing with, and any suggestions on how to catch this creature? I appreciate all the info your web site; I just cant find anything that remotely sounds like what we have going on with this creature attempting to bury the traps with insulation. Many thanks for any advice. Jill
Why don't you have a wildlife expert inspect the house and attic in order to determine what the animal is? It could be raccoons or opossums, not necessarily rats. The feces and tracks in the attic, and the nature of the entry holes should tell you what animal you're dealing with.
Indianapolis Rat Control Tip of The Week
City Subways And The Presence Of Rats
Rats, like pigeons, badgers, and foxes thrive in urban environments, even moving to these places. Cities are full of garbage dumps, abandoned lands, and sewers that can provide a cozy burrow for rats to live in and raise their families. Human beings have provided the perfect conditions for the well-being of this species.
Sewers And Rats
Sewers can provide everything needed for an exponential multiplication of rodents. The problem is that the more rats there are, the more they need food, so to get it they will be severely aggressive towards each other. This aggressiveness and the search for new food sources can cause serious damage to the city.
Rats Are The Real Infection
These rodents are known for carrying bacteria that cause infectious diseases leading humans to death. Something similar occurs with rats when they spread through sewers, subways, garbage dumps, and train tracks.
Rats survive thanks to the mountains of garbage in the city and play a vital role in reducing this waste. However, wiring or holes and infrastructure problems can be just some of the catastrophic consequences for the city's subway system.
Super-rats
Humans love junk food and in big cities, high-calorie garbage has given the rats that eat it the energy they need to grow exorbitantly even creating resistance to some rat poisons.
The well-being of citizens begins with professional pest control combined with a mind-set of not throwing garbage into the environment. Briefly, if there is neither food nor garbage, there are no rats. The fewer rats there are in places like the subway, the fewer rats will be able to reach homes. The more we take care of the city, the fewer health problems or economic damage there will be.